The Shindig
I hadn’t seen Therese for days. Well, I had seen her lurking in the background taking pictures of me while I was shaking hands with school principals, kissing poor orphans and handing out checks to local hospital representatives. It seemed a bit unnecessary since all the local papers had sort of picked up on my charities; I had an entourage of newspapermen following me around wherever I went and the headlines even matched the idea my little stalker had envisioned in her pretty little head.
“Mrs H.F. Aird opens a new wing at the Good Shepherd Children's Hospital”
“Shelter me – Mrs Aird lends a helping hand to the homeless”
“A Real Christmas Carol – Mrs H.F. Aird hands out gifts to the unfortunate”
Gotta admire the wittiness of the members of the almighty press. NOT. Though Abby did get a tremendous kick out of it. She thought my attempt to raise my overall respectability was a hilarious feat she wouldn’t want to miss for anything. “So what else is new?” she asked me suspiciously. “Oh, nothing much…” I replied trying to make it sound as casual as possible. “Other than you’re banging the chick with the camera?” I turned around and blushed, I’m afraid. “How did you know?” I demanded. “C’mon, Carol… you haven’t said a word about her in days and you’re wearing a friggin’ scarf inside!” Abby took a drag of her cigarette eyeing me angrily.
“Well, if you must know, it just happened. Just one of those things.” I downplayed the situation as carefully as I could. “Yeah? She happened to land on you and her top was open like the night you drugged her?” Abby stared at me sternly. I sat down on the sofa. It was no use keeping this from her anymore. After all, she was my dearest friend.
“She’s the one I like, but I don’t suppose I can have her, can I?” I said looking at her. The features on Abby’s face softened all of a sudden. “Oh…” she uttered surprised by my quiet candor. She sat down beside me. “Are you really so glad to have met her?” Abby spoke after a meaningful silence. “Yes,” I acknowledged conscious of the irrevocable happiness of this moment when I finally knew what I wanted and wasn’t afraid to say it out loud. “Does she feel the same about you?” she asked. “Yes.” The powerful simplicity of a one-word-answer reminded me of Therese.
“She’s young,” Abby pointed out. “Do you know what you’re doing?” I shook my head as if trying to get rid of the facts which were haunting me. “No.” It’s easy to speak when what you say is true. “I never did,” I said taking her hand compassionately. Abby was always on my side, even when her own heart was breaking.
Therese called me later. Not that she was much of a talker to begin with but a phone conversation… phew… that was something else. “Carol…” she said and expected me to pick up from there. I didn’t. A very long silence. I couldn’t take it. “Yes?” She knew how to irritate the hell out of me but I could hear her smiling and it made me happy. “You won’t make any mistakes, will you?” I said after a while. “No.” I kept the phone glued to my ear and she did the same for I could hear her breathing steadily on the other end. One might have touched the air between us. The thickening, wildly fragrant air.
This is ridiculous. Not quite insanity but – blissful. I stood in the warm square of early evening sunlight and felt it warm my body like Therese did. And the mere thought of her was suddenly too much for me.
I knew Harge was planning to throw a party tonight. I wasn’t invited, of course, but Therese would most likely be somewhere in the neighborhood. Our odd little phone talk hadn’t revealed any of her plans but she must’ve known about the shindig. I needed to see her, just a glimpse of her and then I could be at peace, I thought.
At 9 PM I was already sneaking around Harge’s place trying to peek through windows for a look of my little waif. The party was in full swing and the master himself was grandiosely entertaining his guests with a number of his trademark jokes which rarely induced merriment. Boredom, yes - laughter, no.
I had put on a cape and covered my face with a veiled hat. My heel stuck in the flower bed behind the terrace door and while I was trying to pull it off, I got a run in my stocking. Bloody hell! I grunted when I suddenly saw her inside. There she was in a maid uniform serving canapés to the hapless crowd drinking and dancing the night away. Hmm… a maid uniform… and now she was talking to that Harrison woman – what was her name again – Jeanette? Her husband was docking her allowance so she pretty much put it out to anyone willing to flip an expense account her way. Harge had, that I knew for sure... but what the hell was she talking to Therese for???
My angel was smiling – what the fuck is she smiling about? – graciously to that wench who seemed to be having the time of her life. I tried to rip my foot off the bloody mud but ended flat on my back instead. In the process I inadvertently clung to the vegetation creeping up the wall boards and managed to pull something down. A loud bang followed and for a moment I just stayed there listening if anyone had picked up on what was happening outside.
“Carol, what the fuck!?” Therese was standing behind me helping me back on my feet. I just stared at her all hurt and pissed off. “Fuck you too!” I said and started towards my car. I heard her footsteps approaching. “What is the matter?” Wow, a four-word-sentence. “Nothing. Why don’t you go back inside and see if the lovely lady would like some more of what you were so happily serving…” Why can’t I keep my trap shut? I thought turning away again.
The minute I opened the car door she was there beside me. “Backseat. Now.” Her smile was like thousand suns warming me, burning me splendidly when she led me inside and shut the door behind us. If I worried for a minute that someone might spot me there like a teenager with her skirt all hiked up, I forgot it the minute her lips touched mine. And the windows were soon steamed, anyway.